NameCensus.

UK surname

Holburn

In the 1881 census there were 200 people recorded with the Holburn surname, ranking it #12,836 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 224, ranked #18,164, down from #12,836 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edinburgh, Greenock and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Siverknowes and Davidson's Mains, Muirhouse and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holburn is 247 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.0%.

1881 census count

200

Ranked #12,836

Modern count

224

2016, ranked #18,164

Peak year

2010

247 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holburn had 200 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,836 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 224 in 2016, ranked #18,164.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 237 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Holburn surname distribution map

The map shows where the Holburn surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Holburn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holburn over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 93 #17,946
1861 historical 145 #15,715
1881 historical 200 #12,836
1891 historical 237 #13,242
1901 historical 220 #14,245
1911 historical 146 #18,179
1997 modern 223 #16,448
1998 modern 236 #16,304
1999 modern 228 #16,790
2000 modern 231 #16,610
2001 modern 230 #16,415
2002 modern 241 #16,243
2003 modern 218 #17,131
2004 modern 221 #17,066
2005 modern 218 #17,170
2006 modern 217 #17,349
2007 modern 224 #17,193
2008 modern 229 #17,092
2009 modern 243 #16,742
2010 modern 247 #16,931
2011 modern 230 #17,578
2012 modern 232 #17,401
2013 modern 241 #17,202
2014 modern 233 #17,707
2015 modern 234 #17,577
2016 modern 224 #18,164

Geography

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Where Holburns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edinburgh, Greenock, Glasgow, Paisley Abbey and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Siverknowes and Davidson's Mains, Muirhouse, County Durham, Taunton Deane and Kildrum. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Edinburgh Edinburgh
2 Greenock Renfrew
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Paisley Abbey Renfrew
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Siverknowes and Davidson's Mains City of Edinburgh
2 Muirhouse City of Edinburgh
3 County Durham 033 County Durham
4 Taunton Deane 009 Taunton Deane
5 Kildrum North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holburn

These lists show first names that appear often with the Holburn surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holburn

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Holburn, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Holburn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Holburn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Holburn is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Holburn is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Holburn falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Holburn is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Holburn, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Holburn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holburn surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Durham leads with 49 Holburns recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.44x.

County Total Index
Durham 49 8.44x
Ayrshire 37 25.34x
Renfrewshire 33 21.83x
Lanarkshire 27 4.28x
Kent 18 2.70x
Yorkshire 14 0.72x
Midlothian 9 3.44x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 14.16x
Hampshire 3 0.75x
Surrey 3 0.32x
Glamorgan 1 0.29x
Lancashire 1 0.04x
Monmouthshire 1 0.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ramsgate in Kent leads with 14 Holburns recorded in 1881 and an index of 128.79x.

Place Total Index
Ramsgate 14 128.79x
Abbey 12 52.02x
Bishopwearmouth 11 22.08x
Galston 11 275.69x
Glasgow 11 9.82x
Stranton 11 56.29x
Westoe 10 30.40x
Mearns 9 339.62x
Potto 9 6428.57x
South Leith 9 30.60x
Dalziel 8 117.82x
Dalry 7 101.89x
Kilmarnock 7 40.28x
Stewarton 7 242.21x
Barony 6 3.76x
Whitton 6 1304.35x
Manningham 5 20.99x
Houghton Le Spring 4 99.75x
Inverkip 4 112.36x
Kilmalcolm 4 220.99x
Loudoun 4 113.96x
West Greenock 4 14.74x
Newington 3 4.16x
South Hayling 3 422.54x
Sunderland 3 29.27x
Tongland 3 545.45x
Govan 2 1.28x
Nonington 2 377.36x
Bedwellty 1 4.02x
Canterbury St Mary 1 22.37x
Cardiff St Mary 1 5.34x
Darlington 1 4.46x
Faversham 1 15.75x
Gateshead 1 2.30x
Maybole 1 22.47x
Norton 1 46.95x
Rerrick 1 82.64x
Salford 1 1.47x
Wolviston 1 250.00x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Holburn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 5
Ann 3
Anne 3
Elizabeth 3
Jane 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Hannah 2
Agnes 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Emeline 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Frances 1
Gurtrude 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Jessie 1
L.Sarah 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Sarah 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Holburn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Holburn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holburn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 200 people were recorded with the Holburn surname. That placed it at #12,836 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holburn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 224 in 2016. That gives Holburn a modern rank of #18,164.

What does the Holburn map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Holburn bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.